Meeting explorer Issa Omidvar – In Tehran, Pryce met the Iranian explorer Issa Omidvar, who motorcycled around the world from 1952 to 1962.

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Photos:What's it like to ride solo through Iran as a woman?

Bazaar lamps – Everything you could ever need is for sale in Tehran's vast, labyrinthine bazaar.

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Photos:What's it like to ride solo through Iran as a woman?

So Farsi, so good? – That moment when Google Translate would come in handy. Outside main urban areas, many of Iran's road signs are in Farsi only.

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Photos:What's it like to ride solo through Iran as a woman?

Chadors for sale – Chadors are commonly worn by women in public areas.

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Folk art mural – Iranian streets are decorated with murals, from the militaristic to the mundane.

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Photos:What's it like to ride solo through Iran as a woman?

Friendliest hotel staff – A warm welcome at a hotel in Shiraz, apparently Iran's friendliest city. Pryce found that, despite its reputation as an extremist state, Iran's people were invariably friendly and hospitable.

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Car and martyr – Two common sights of Iran: murals of the war "martyrs" and the ubiquitous Paykan, a vehicle also known as the Iranian chariot.

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Yazd fabric salesman – Salesmen ply their trade in the dusty streets of Yazd. Surrounded by desert in the center of the country, Yazd is renowned for its exquisite handicrafts.

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Tehran military mural – A mural on a military compound in Tehran's Felestin Square commemorates "The Imposed War," as the Iran-Iraq war is known locally.

This enthusiastic welcome sets the scene for my entire journey -- motorcycling 3,000 miles around Iran solo and female, from the rugged northwest of the country to the Caspian Sea and over the remote Alborz Mountains to the fume-choked streets of Tehran.

My motivation?

Curiosity about the huge gulf between how Iran is perceived in the West and what I hear about it from the few people I know who have been there.

Often painted in the media as a terrifying place full of extremists, travelers who return from Iran invariably rave about how wonderful and welcoming they found the Iranian people.

I wanted to discover the place for myself.

Following some wild times in the capital, where it turns out you can get everything from contraband bacon to booze, I continue through the peaceful Zagros Mountains to the ancient cities of Esfehan, Shiraz and the deserts of the south.

Reports of tourists being arrested for espionage are in the front of my mind when, at one border post, I'm frogmarched to the police station to be fingerprinted.

But, of course, a people and its government are two separate entities.

Persian hospitality is legendary and I find myself overwhelmed with generosity and kindness from Iranians keen to distance themselves from the negative image of their homeland -- from truckers stuffing pomegranates into my panniers to complete strangers insisting on paying for my hotel room and an endless stream of tea.

I'm also a source of intense curiosity myself, especially as Iranian women are forbidden from riding motorcycles in public.

Foreign travelers are rare in Iran and the sight of a UK-registered motorcycle caused much excitement among drivers who would pass me with an inch to spare, blasting their horns while hanging out the window and filming me on their phones.

As I travel around I'm passed from stranger to stranger, who quickly become friends, and as a result, find myself mingling with a range of Iranian society.

My hosts range from underground filmmakers and the designer-clad elite of Tehran to a rebel-rousing schoolgirl and Iran's celebrated explorer, Issa Omidvar, who motorcycled around the world in the 1950s.

Iranians remain warm and fun-loving people.

Some areas off limits

Riding isn't an entirely free affair though -- travelers must take care not to stray into military areas or near nuclear plants and taking pictures of military or official buildings is a no-no.

For my project, I'd snap them quickly and then be on my way, reminded that the authoritarian streak is never far away.

Vast murals of the Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei) loom over every street corner and everyone I meet has a story of police intimidation, arrests and the oppressive reality of life under the regime.

Where Google Translate would come in handy.

In the desert city of Yazd I'm invited to stay with an ex-army general and his family.

He fought in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s and lost his legs in the conflict.

I'm wary of this invitation, wondering what I'll have in common with an Iranian veteran, but my concerns are unfounded.

He's far from the grizzled war-monger I fear and within moments of meeting he's cracking jokes and teaching me Farsi slang.

The highlight of the trip comes, unexpectedly, as we take the elevator in his apartment block to go out for dinner.

I'm learning the Persian numbers as we descend each floor and as we count "three, two, one" he announces in English, "It's the final countdown!"

We don't have to say anything. The two of us look at each other, laugh and burst into song.

"Da-da daa daa, da-da da da daa!"

This is the moment I know I'd been right to ignore the naysayers and to come and seek out the real Iran.

Neither East nor West

Iran has always prided itself on being "neither East nor West."

Geographically it stands between the two cultures, never aligning itself with either, making for the strong sense of Persian identity.

Sadly, the popular image of Iran today, fueled by the rhetoric of politicians means that the Iranian people are lumped in with Islamic extremists and terrorism.

This couldn't be further from the truth.

My travels unveiled a nation of sophisticated, kindhearted people eager to engage with the wider world.

If only their government would follow their example.

Lois Pryce spent two periods of 30 days traveling Iran in 2013 and 2014. You can follow her travels at Loisontheloose. A book and TV show based on the trip are in production.